Do you ever wish that your dog was better behaved or perhaps just had more activities to occupy them? A pet care centre could be the answer and I’ve asked Tristram Walker, Manager of the West Coast Pet Care Centre to tell us about a day in the life of their centre…
A Day In The Life of A Pet Care Centre
It is a common conundrum, what do you do with your beloved pet when they start making day-to-day life impossibly difficult? We all know that dogs can be playful and boisterous, but what happens when boisterous turns into destructive behaviour that then turns dog walks into a task that you just dread?!
How many times have you avoided taking your dog for a walk in very public areas so that you don’t have to deal with any overly-excited, reactive or aggressive behaviour? A few? A dozen? At least once?
And how many times have you found a solution to the problem that actually works?
Should you try and train your dog alone using books and videos? Should you attend group training or one on one classes? Or, perhaps you should send your pet to stay with a trainer to fix their behavioural issues? There are so many options that promise different outcomes for different issues, it can be hard to know what is going to be the right one for you.
If your pet’s behaviour is making you feel concerned for their safety and that of others, or if you are frustrated that you and your dog can’t seem to easily understand each other, then this will be one of the most important articles you read today to help you determine the right approach for tackling your pet’s behavioural issues and making life more enjoyable for you both.
We’re giving you an inside look at some of the common pet behaviour problems we see on a daily basis at our pet care centre and what we do to help improve the quality of life between pets and their parents. So, keep reading if you’re ready to discover our style of training and the positive impacts it’s having.
Pet Owners come to us for help with these types of issues – are you experiencing them too?
Some of the most common issues we see simply develop from a lack of rules and boundaries to help control the excitable nature of dogs. This includes running and jumping on guests you have over, lunging at the door if anyone approaches, not responding to basic commands, pulling at their leads during walk times or reacting to dogs and people when you’re out in public making walk times incredibly difficult.
Issues like this, if left for too long, can have a frustrating impact on your life and can affect the relationship you have with your furry friend. Owning a dog shouldn’t feel like a task, so it’s our mission to provide a safe environment where we can help enhance the relationship you have with your dog and improve the quality your day-to-day lives.
Our training methods focus on diminishing the following behaviours:
- Anxiety Behaviours (barking, pacing, following like a shadow).
- Destructive Behaviours (digging, mouthing or jumping, scratching, destroying household items).
- Reactivity (fear or excitement) towards other dogs, people and in some cases other animals.
- Excessive attention-seeking behaviours (barking, crying, separation anxiety, neediness).
- Jumping on people (fear or excitement).
- Recall problems (particularly during off-lead situations).
- Getting the dog out of the house when you need to do basic things like leaving for work.
- Breed specific traits, for example, Pointer – Chasing birds; Blue Heeler – Nipping heels; Border Collie – Herding kids.
- Toilet training (particularly an issue for puppies or rescue dogs that show signs of anxiety or stress).
The most common behavioural issues we deal with in rescue dogs
We have seen quite a few rescue dogs especially as there is increased focus from shelters on “adopt, don’t shop” and whilst most behavioural issues are across the board, each rescue dog is impacted differently depending on the situation they’ve come from, how long they were in that situation and how long the current owner has had the dog.
Typically, these types of pet behaviours include, but aren’t limited to:
- The relationship between the dog and their new owner (sometimes they’re too fearful of human contact, even with their new owner).
- Not eating food on their own and requires their owner to be there during feeding times.
- Anxiety behaviours (barking, pacing, following like a shadow).
- Destructive behaviours (digging, mouthing or jumping, scratching, destroying household items).
- Reactivity (fear or excitement) towards other dogs, people and in some cases other animals.
- Excessive attention-seeking behaviours (barking, crying, separation anxiety, neediness).
What types of training styles do we use to help with these pet behavioural issues?
We believe in all things positive because we believe in maintaining the beautiful nature of our furry companions.
This belief is simple; if dogs learn good behaviour they are rewarded and acknowledged for doing well and punishment doesn’t come in the form of a harsh reprimand, rather we focus on developing boundaries that encourage dogs to identify what a good behaviour is.
We get the most effective long-term results from positive reinforcement and our trainers will often use various hand cues, signals, treats and even fun games to help modify their behaviour, correct bad habits and for a bit of extra fun, they may even take home a few extra tricks for their owner’s entertainment.
What’s more, creating a positive and nurturing environment helps to gain trust which is particularly important for rescue dogs that are fearful of human contact or socialisation with other animals.
Things that you should keep in mind about a pet care centre
Each dog and their owners are individual in their own right, so it’s important to really ask yourself, “what am I wanting to achieve with dog behavioural training, what’s the best method for my dog and can I continue to follow it through after the training program has ended?”
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to teaching our furry friend good behaviour thus each one requires a training program and tools that are adapted to the dog’s skills, learning ability, limitations and breed traits.
One of the main reasons our training works so well is because we like to take them out of their usual environment so that they don’t have distractions which can be detrimental to those desired long-term results. It also allows us to really get to know the dog and cater to them individually and truly focus on what people want their dogs to learn and what motivates the dog to take on good behaviours.
We also involve the owners as much as we can in the training process so that we can cater to their needs and ensure it aligns with lifestyle practicalities. We then follow it up with lifetime support so that owners can have the confidence that someone is in their corner to help ensure that their furry friends won’t slip back into bad habits.
Pet care centres do more than just training and helping with pet behavioural issues
West Coast Pet Care Centre, along with many other pet care facilities, offers a safe and secure place for your pet to stay if you’re heading off on holiday too. The most significant benefit of this is that you’re leaving your pet in the care of qualified trainers and in a facility designed to provide extra security and safety. In fact, we’re the only PIAA accredited facility in Western Australia, and one of only 4 in the whole country.
Some of the main reasons that pet owners choose us over pet sitters is because we offer other services like:
- The convenience of being able to drop off/pick up their pet at a time that suits them
- Knowing their pet is staying in a clean and sanitary environment
- Giving their pet the opportunity to make friends with other dogs whilst staying
- Knowing their pet is getting the same love and affection as the would at home
- Convenient access to medical experts and facilities in case of emergencies
- Guarantee of the highest quality facility and standards of care as a result of meeting the high PIAA accreditation standards.
- We offer ‘pampering’ extras such as grooming and brush-out, interactive play times, country hikes for dogs, homemade treats, DSHEDS, baths and lots of love and cuddles.
The bottom line is that there are a multitude of options out there to consider for dealing with your pet’s behaviour. However, like most other pet care centres, helping pets (and their parents) build a positive relationship is why we love what we do here at West Coast Pet Care Centre. If you’d like to find out more about our training and boarding services, be sure to visit our website today.
Author: Tristram Walker, Manager West Coast Pet Care Centre
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